This invention relates to a process for making water-soluble, partially crosslinked polyamine-polyalkylene oxide products and to the novel products of that process.
The copolymerization of epichlorohydrin with polyepoxides to produce polyalkylene oxide elastomers has been described by Booth et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 3,544,655. Lower molecular weight non-elastomeric products using a different catalyst system may be prepared by homopolymerization of epichlorohydrin followed by dehydrochlorination of terminal chlorohydrin groups to epoxides, and reaction of the epoxide groups with polyhydric compounds as described by Mueller in U.S. Pat. No. 3,305,565.
The reaction of polyepichlorohydrin and similar polyethers containing reactive halogen with alkylene polyamines such as diethylenetriamine and triethylenetetramine in the presence of a strong base is known. The products thereby obtained are only slightly soluble in water as described by DeGroote et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 3,251,852. More recently, water-soluble, lightly crosslinked polyether amines having useful properties as flocculants and drainage aids in paper manufacture have been prepared by reacting polyepichlorohydrin or other such polyethers with an excess of alkylenepolyamine and optionally reacting the product further with ethylene dichloride or other polyamine crosslinking agent. This process and its products are described by Dick et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,746,678 and also by Raspanti, U.S. Pat. No. 3,753,931.